Rotary antismut device having radially adjustable sheet-supporting wheels

ABSTRACT

A method for eliminating the marking on a conventional lithographic press by spacing the sheet after it is lithographed and while it is still wet from the skeleton wheels by small, rotary members of &#39;&#39;&#39;&#39;Teflon&#39;&#39;&#39;&#39; plastic or the like at spaced intervals beyond the periphery of each skeleton wheel. For example, a conventional Harris-Seybold Company, Cleveland, Ohio press L.T.P. or L.U.P., lithographic press has a plurality of spaced, skeleton wheels or discs on a shaft about which the wet sheets are moved as the sheets are pulled from the press by the chain grippers. Marking which has occurred at this point is substantially eliminated through the use of a plurality of small, individual &#39;&#39;&#39;&#39;Teflon&#39;&#39;&#39;&#39; discs or rollers which have a thin, circular edge around the periphery and which are spaced apart arcuately around the periphery of each skeleton wheel so that the sheet is engaged by these small disc members in sequence as it is pulled by the grippers from the press so that the sheet is not visibly marked. In one form means is provided for simultaneous adjustment of all of the rollers from one control plus a scale for setting.

nit Sttes [72] lnventor RnlphESudduth 4701 Danforth Road S.W., Atlanta, Ga.

30331 [21] Appl. No. 9,572 [22] Filed lFeb. 9,1970 [45] Patented Aug. 31, 1971 Continuation-impart 01 application Ser. No. 624,050, Mar. 17, 1967, now abandoned.

[54] ROTARY ANTISMUT DEVICE HAVING RADIALLY ADJUSTABLE SHEET-SUPPORTING WHEELS 15 Claims, 12 Drawing Figs.

52 U.S.Cl 101/420,

226/175,271/5l s11 1nt.C1 1341121/00 so Fieldollsearch 101/420,

Hergenhan 3,099,181 7/1963 226/199 X 3,334,892 8/1967 Janecek et al. 101/420 X 3,442,506 5/1969 Pasquinelli 101/420 X Primary Examiner.lv Reed Fisher AltomeyPatrick F. Henry ABSTRACT: A method for eliminating the marking on a conventional lithographic press by spacing the sheet after it is lithographed and while it is still wet from the skeleton wheels by small, rotary members of Teflon plastic or the like at spaced intervals beyond the periphery of each skeleton wheel. For example, a conventional Harris-Seybold Company, Cleveland, Ohio press L.T.P. or L.U.P., lithographic press has a plurality of spaced, skeleton wheels or discs on a shaft about which the wet sheets are moved as the sheets are pulled from the press by the chain grippers. Marking which has occurred at this point is substantially eliminated through the use of a plurality of small, individual Teflon discs or rollers which have a thin, circular edge around the periphery and which are spaced apart arcuately around the periphery of each skeleton wheel so that the sheet is engaged by these small disc members in sequence as it is pulled by the grippers from the press so that the sheet is not visibly marked. In one form means is provided for simultaneous adjustment of all of the rollers from one control plus a scale for setting.

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ROTARY ANTllfiM U'll DEVICE HAVING RADIALLY ADJUSTABLE SHEET-SUPPORTING WHEELS CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION This is a continuation-in-part of my copending application Ser. No. 624,050, filed Mar. 17, 1967, now abandoned.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention Lithographic presses of the sort made by Harris-Seybold Company of Cleveland, Ohio, Models L.T.P. or LUP. or a Harris offset press by Harris lntertype Corporation, which includes a segment or device commonly known as the skeleton wheels about which the wet lithographed sheets are moved as the grippers for the edge of the sheet pull the sheet from between the lithograph rollers and remove it from the press by feeding it to the stacking position. Previously, these skeleton rollers were segmented wheels with a fiat, cylindrical surfaces which would mark the sheet visibly enough to spoil the real high quality advertising material.

2. Description of the Prior Art Segmented, skeleton wheel portions of lithographic presses, for example those produced by I-Iarris-Seybold Company and so forth mentioned previously herein. Wheels with portions that detach and move outwardly.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The method, as mentioned previously, is applicable to the removal of wet lithographed sheets, such as high quality advertising material, from lithographic presses which is done presently by directing the wet sheet across a plurality of segmented rollers or disclike plates or wheels which are called skeleton wheels in the trade on the presses. According to the present method, the sheets are not directed against the surface of these wheels but rather are directed in sequence against a support surface having a thin edge and rotating the support surface as the sheet is moved against thereby reducing the marking of the sheet prior to removal from the press. Accordin g to the present apparatus, the skeleton wheels or segmented discs found in conjunction with the chain removal gripper elements of a lithographic press which grip the edge of the sheet and pull it from the press have been modified to include a plurality of small, disclike rollers made from solid Teflon or other suitable plastic and each having a thin edge circularly around the periphery thereof. In one embodiment, each wheel is mounted on a separate independent shaft of its own on a small slotted bracket which is bolted directly to a position on the skeleton wheel and there are a number of these spaced from each other around the periphery of the wheel and a typical number would be Iii around one of the larger presses.

Rather than single adjustment of each elected bracket alternatively a control means moves all the brackets simultaneously, a selected amount which can be locked in place. Also, the adjustment for each bracket is the same.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Other and further objects and advantages of this invention will appear from reading the following specification taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. l is a diagrammatic side elevation view of two of the engaging rollers of the lithographic press and a side eievation view of a skeleton wheel or disc of the press modified in accordance with the present invention and showing one of the sheet gripper elements.

FIG. 2 is a plan elevation view of one of the individual wheels of the present invention and the bracket on which it is mounted.

FIG. 3 is a side elevation view of the device shown in FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 is a disassembled, assembly view of a typical skeleton or segmented wheel or disc from the lithographic press and the modification thereto shown on the right-hand side of the view and including one of the devices shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 as operated in the manner of FIG. I.

FIG. 5 is a disassembled perspective assembly view of a modified form of the device which provides simultaneous adjustment.

lFIG. ti is a side elevation view of the device shown in FIG. 5 feeding a web between two rollers.

FIG. 7 is an enlarged top plan view of the bracket and roller assemblies used in the device shown in FIG. 5.

FIG. ii is a side elevation view of the assembly shown in FIG. 7.

FIG. 9 is an enlarged view of a portion of the skeleton wheel shown in FIG. 5.

FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view taken substantially along lines 10-- It) in FIG. Ill.

FIG. II is a side elevation view of the portion of the skeleton wheel with part of the face plate moved to show an adjustment.

FIG. 12 is a side elevation view of the portion of the skeleton wheel showing calibration for adjustment.

SIMULTANEOUS ADJUSTMENT FORM FIGS. 542

The modified form of the invention shown in FIG. 5 through if); inclusive, is arranged for simultaneous adjustment of all of the small rollers from one control means and, also, there is provided a lock means to stop and latch the rollers in any position selected.

The entire assembly of the modified form shown in FIGS. 5 through 12, inclusive, is designated generally by reference numeral I00 and comprises a more or less conventional skeleton wheel 102 similar to wheel or element 36 for mounting on the shaft as of the lithographic press in the manner shown in FIG. I (with respect to the other version 36) on a hub assembly 3048 having protruding fingers or lugs 106 from a circular plate or web 108 formed integrally with a center cylindrical hub llllO there is a cutout and shaft entry portion H2 in hub assembly I'M which tits on the shaft 46 and is secured in place by any suitable means such as a steel clamping element 44 or a set screw ill which engages the shaft 46 of the press.

instead of the separable skeleton wheel and separate plate arrangement 6 25 shown in FIGS. ll through inclusive, the skeleton wheel assembly Mill in FIG. 5 comprises a solid-plate construction of two plates one of which plates plate 11 i, has a flat face If on one side which is machined or otherwise formed to include a recessed circular portion 116 near the interior and corresponding to portion I M in hub assembly lllfla, portion at lid is omitted for reasons having to do with the or dinary operation of the lithographic press which is conventional and is, also, shown in connection with the embodiment in FIG. l.

T he hub assembly MM is rigidly and fixedly secured to the interior of the plate 114 in the manner shown assembled in FIG. 6 by recessed set screws I115 screwed through holes 115 countersunk in the face of the recessed portion of I16 and into tapped holes M9 in the fingers 11% of hub assembly MM providing a rigid assembly. On the face I20 of the plate ll l there is provided a number of holes ill. to which is mounted by means of a special screw 123, or the like, an arm or member 126 part of a respective bracket assembly 123, similar in many respects to assembly IS in FIG. 2, with a slot 130 therein and a small Teflon wheel I32 identical to wheel 52 described in connection with the previous embodiment as shown in FIG. 2 and 3, etc. Each wheel I32 turns on a respective shaft 134. All of the brackets 128 are mounted for simultaneous and selective adjustment in the manner now described. As seen in FIG. 7, bracket 126 pivots on screw 123 which has a shoulder 137 that limits the tightening. A semicircular plate I33 is to be mounted superposed there against and substantially complimentary to the side 120 of plate 1M which has a track or channel 140 machined or otherwise formed on a fiat face 143 for receiving the protruding caps 144i of screws 123 on the fitted shaft which is inserted into each opening 122 and tightened by nuts 145, to retain the respective bracket 128 in place thereon. Thus each cap 144 project into the channel or slot 140 a project projecting member confined to circular movement therein.

A plurality of individual and independent protruding pins 150 are part of the simultaneous control means and are rigidly mounted on the face 152 of the plate and each corresponds with respective bracket 128 and fits into a respective slot 130 performing as actuators thereon. Plate 138 has three slots 158 therein which are held in place against the plate 1 14 by means of bolts 160 permitting relative circular motion between plate 1 14 and 138 for adjustment and actuation of the brackets 128 simultaneously. Normally, however, the plates 114, 138 are fixed and rigidly mounted together with the respective individual brackets 128 locked in selected position but moveable therebetween for adjustment. Plate 138 maybe loosened and rotated slightly relative to plate 114 which action causes the pins 152 to move the respective bracket 130 in which said pins protrudes and at the same time swinging each bracket assembly 128 arm 126 pivotally about the pivot 144 in effect to enlarge the peripheral surface of the skeleton wheel by simul taneous movement but providing a plurality of individual edges 52 on each of the rollers instead of the usual periphery of a skeleton wheel, for the same reason discussed before.

Rollers, or wheels, 132 and the respective bracket 126 on which each roller 132 is mounted are all moved about screw 137, with the screw shaft as the'center. Each bracket 126 pivots on each screw 137 with the length of the bracket 126 from the center of the 137 to the edge of the roller 132 being the radius of a circle but limited by the length of slot 130 in which each respective pin 150 operates to actuate the respective bracket 126. Thus the motion of each roller 132 is the arc of a circle and each bracket 126 is confined in motion to an accurate path and every bracket 126 is confined to accurate movement with all other brackets so that the adjustment, which is somewhat widely variable relative to the edge of the skeleton wheel 100, is very accurate.

A calibration scale is provided for accurate setting once the particular place is known in the form of a fixed scale assembly 180 etched in metal and attached to the assembly 100 at the hub 104 comprising an index member 181 with index marked at 182 hub 104 and a calibrated scale 183 on the side face 184 of plate 138. As seen in FIGS. 6 and 12, scale assembly 180 is operated selectively with the index 182 as the plate 138 is selectively loosened and adjusted on hub 104. The operation of the form just described in connection with a conventional press and the rollers 10, 12 is substantially the same as described previously in connection with embodiment in FIG. 1 in respect of a web of lithographed, wet paper and the like 20 being fed across the Teflon" rollers 132. TEFLON is a trademark of E. I. DuPOnt de Nemours & Co. for a plastic chemically identified as polytetratluoroethylene, sometimes referred to as TF E.

While I have shown and described a particular embodiment of my invention together with an altemative form with means for adjustment, this is merely to express the invention in tangible form and to provide illustrative devices and does not constitute any sort of limitation on the scope of the invention since various alterations, changes substitutions, eliminations, variations, deviations, omissions, additions, and departures may be made in the forms illustrated without departing from the scope of my invention as defined by interpretation of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. in an improvement in a lithographic press which includes a sheet removal apparatus having some gripping means for grasping the sheet to pull it from the press and means such as a skeleton wheel arrangement around which the sheet is pulled and directed as it is removed from the press, the improvement comprising:

a. a plurality of individual, spaced elements protruding from the surface of the skeleton wheel and being separate from one another arcuately around the periphery of said skeleton wheel whereby said sheet is engaged sequentially by each of said elements as it is removed from the press,

b. each of said elements being a small wheel mounted for individual rotation and having a thin peripheral circular edge and being constructed from a material such as polytetrafluoroethylene plastic,

c. each element being respectively adjustable substantially radially selectively outwardly and inwardly with respect to the center of said skeleton wheel thereby to selectively increase or decrease the extent of protrusion from the skeleton wheel,

d. and means for simultaneously adjusting all of said elements.

2. The device in claim 1,

said means for adjusting; having a means therewith for securing said elements in place after adjustment.

3. The device in claim 1:

said means for simultaneously adjusting including a member relatively adjustable with respect to said skeleton wheel to effect movement of all of said elements.

4. The device claimed in claim 1, wherein:

each of said elements is mounted on a bracket and said bracket is adjustably attached to a position on said roller.

5. The device in claim 4, wherein:

each bracket has a slot therein and a plurality of graduations marked thereon for adjustment and selecting the proper location.

6. The device in claim 4.

means for simultaneously adjusting all of said elements by moving said respective brackets therefor,

said means including a stationary element on said skeleton wheel on which said brackets are mounted for movement and a selectively movable adjusting element on said skeleton wheel relatively movable with regards to said stationary element to move said brackets.

7. The device in claim 6:

means on each of said brackets engageable by a means on said adjusting element to effect movement thereof during adjustment.

8. The device in claim 7:

said means on each of said brackets including a slot in which there is positioned a protruding member mounted on said adjusting element to move in said slot,

9. The device in claim 8:

said stationary element being a plate and said adjusting element being a plate mounted in movable a position there against.

10. The device in claim 9:

said protruding members each being a pin fixed to said adjusting plate.

11. The device in claim 9:

said movable adjusting element plate having a channel therein, there being locating and alignment members protruding from said stationary plate into said channel.

12. The device in claim 11:

said brackets each being pivotally mounted by means of a pivot, said pivot being the members protruding from said fixed stationary plate into said channel.

13. The device in claim 1 1:

said fixed plate having a slot therein, a hub attached to said fixed plate.

14. The deice in claim 13:

said hub having means affixed to said stationary plate mounting said hub thereon,

means attaching said movable adjusting plate on said hub for movement for adjustment thereon.

15. The device in claim 14:

said hub or said adjusting plate having slots therein and the other having adjustment screws in said slots. 

1. In an improvement in a lithographic press which includes a sheet removal apparatus having some gripping means for grasping the sheet to pull it from the press and means such as a skeleton wheel arrangement around which the sheet is pulled and directed as it is removed from the press, the improvement comprising: a. a plurality of individual, spaced elements protruding from the surface of the skeleton wheel and being separate from one another arcuately around the periphery of said skeleton wheel whereby said sheet is engaged sequentially by each of said elements as it is removed from the press, b. each of said elements being a small wheel mounted for individual rotation and having a thin peripheral circular edge and being constructed from a material such as polytetrafluoroethylene plastic, c. each element being respectively adjustable substantially radially selectively outwardly and inwardly with respect to the center of said skeleton wheel thereby to selectively increase or decrease the extent of protrusion from the skeleton wheel, d. and means for simultaneously adjusting all of said elements.
 2. The device in claim 1, said means for adjusting; having a means therewith for securing said elements in place after adjustment.
 3. The device in claim 1: said means for simultaneously adjusting including a member relatively adjustable with respect to said skeleton wheel to effect movement of all of said elements.
 4. The device claimed in claim 1, wherein: each of said elements is mounted on a bracket and said bracket is adjustably attached to a position on said roller.
 5. The device in claim 4, wherein: each bracket has a slot therein and a plurality of graduations marked thereon for adjustment and selecting the proper location.
 6. The device in claim
 4. means for simultaneously adjusting all of said elements by moving said respective brackets therefor, said means including a stationary element on said skeleton wheel on which said brackets are mounted for movement and a selectively movable adjusting element on said skeleton wheel relatively movable with regards to said stationary element to move said brackets.
 7. The device in claim 6: means on each of said brackets engageable by a means on said adjusting element to effect movement thereof during adjustment.
 8. The device in claim 7: said means on each of said brackets including a slot in which there is positioned a protruding member mounted on said adjusting element to move in said slot,
 9. The device in claim 8: said stationary element being a plate and said adjusting element being a plate mounted in movable a position there against.
 10. The device in claim 9: said protruding members each being a pin fixEd to said adjusting plate.
 11. The device in claim 9: said movable adjusting element plate having a channel therein, there being locating and alignment members protruding from said stationary plate into said channel.
 12. The device in claim 11: said brackets each being pivotally mounted by means of a pivot, said pivot being the members protruding from said fixed stationary plate into said channel.
 13. The device in claim 11: said fixed plate having a slot therein, a hub attached to said fixed plate.
 14. The deice in claim 13: said hub having means affixed to said stationary plate mounting said hub thereon, means attaching said movable adjusting plate on said hub for movement for adjustment thereon.
 15. The device in claim 14: said hub or said adjusting plate having slots therein and the other having adjustment screws in said slots. 